• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.646-657
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• 2010

Offshore wind power is one of the largest-scale solutions for a nuclear- and pollution-free electricity supply in the future. Recently, the research for offshore wind power has started in Korea. However, there has been little effort specifically made for the exploration and evaluation of mechanical characteristics for offshore underwater soil deposits. In offshore wind power system, this is important as consistent and safe maintenance of structural functionality of the system is key for the wind power system to be successfully implemented. In this study, case examples from foreign offshore wind power sites are selected and analyzed. And design methods and factors of offshore wind power system foundation are investigated.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2022

Recently, the development of offshore wind farms based on past technical experiences from onshore wind turbine installations has become a worldwide issue. This study investigated the technical issues related to offshore wind farms and large-diameter monopiles from an economic perspective. In particular, the monopile foundation system (MFS), which is the most important part of the proposed fast construction system, is applied for the first time in Korea, and structural verification is essential because it supports large-diameter monopiles and is in charge of excavation. Therefore, in this study, a rapid construction system for large offshore wind power generators was introduced, and stability verification was performed through the structural analysis of the MFS.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.453-460
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• 2016

Offshore wind turbines are divided into an upper wind turbine and a lower support structure. Offshore wind turbine system is required to secure high reliability for a variety of external environmental conditions compared to ground wind turbines because of additional periodic loads due to ocean wave and current effects. In this study, extreme load analyses have been conducted for the designed offshore wind turbine foundation with weight control functionality using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) then structural analyses have been also conducted to investigate the structural design requirement.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.355-361
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• 2009

Onshore wind farms having several problems, difficult to secure a building site and incur the enmity of the people. Therefore, offshore wind farms are increasingly expected, because there are huge resource and large site in offshore. If huge wind turbines are constructed, the offshore wind power base is concerned about subsidence. In order to confirm the ground stability, estimation of subsidence is necessary. In this paper, the subsidence is predicted by continuity model when the gravity and the mono-pile base are constructed on soft ground. The FLAC 3D, three dimensional FDM program, was adopted to analysis subsidence. Input factors are yielded by geological information at the yeompo quay in ulsan and the results of laboratory experiments. It has been compared that the original ground with improved ground under the gravity base, and constructed mono-pile under the mono-pile base.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.737-745
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• 2013

Offshore wind farms are rapidly growing owing to their comparatively more stable wind conditions than onshore and land-based wind farms. The power capacity of offshore wind turbines has been increased to 5MW in order to capture a larger amount of wind energy, which results in an increase of each component's size. Furthermore, the weight of the marine turbine components installed in the nacelle directly influences the total mechanical design, as well as the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. A reduction in the weight of the nacelle allows for cost-effective tower and foundation structures. On the other hand, longer transmission distances from an offshore wind turbine to the load leads to higher energy losses. In this regard, DC transmission is more useful than AC transmission in terms of efficiency because no reactive power is generated/consumed by DC transmission cables. This paper describes some of the challenges and difficulties faced in designing high-power-density power conversion systems (HPDPCSs) for offshore wind turbines. A new approach for high gain/high voltage systems is introduced using transformerless power conversion technologies. Finally, the proposed converter is evaluated in terms of step-up conversion ratio, device number, modulation, and costs.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.74-85
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• 2024

Offshore wind turbines are supported by various foundations, each with its considerations in design and construction. Gravity, monopile, and suction bucket foundations encounter geotechnical issues, while jacket and tripod foundations face fatigue problems. Considering this, a gravity foundation based on a steel skirt was developed, and a monopile foundation was analyzed for Pile-Soil Interaction using the p-y curve and 3D finite element method (3D FEM). In addition, for suction bucket foundations, the effects of lateral and vertical loads were analyzed using 3D FEM and centrifuge tests. Fatigue analysis for jacket and tripod foundations was conducted using a hotspot stress approach. Some hybrid foundations and shape optimization techniques that change the shape to complement the problems of each foundation described above were assessed. Hybrid foundations could increase lateral resistance compared to existing foundations because of the combined appendages, and optimization techniques could reduce costs by maximizing the efficiency of the structure or by reducing costs and weight. This paper presents the characteristics and research directions of the foundation through various studies on the foundation. In addition, the optimal design method is presented by explaining the problems of the foundation and suggesting ways to supplement them.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.469-475
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• 2016

As we are facing the shortage of oil energy, studies on renewable energy, wind energy research has been naturally getting attention. Among wind energies, ocean wind energy is relatively abundant compared to land wind energy and therefore, is getting much attention in terms of its efficiency. However, the problem is the cost. Generally, the cost ratio of the supporting structure is over 25% of the total installation cost of a offshore wind turbine system. Thus, it is very important to reduce the total installation cost of the offshore wind turbine and develop accurate analysis methodology for various offshore wind turbine foundations. In this study, nonlinear structure-soil interaction analyses have been proposed and conducted for the typical suction bucket model of an offshore wind turbine foundation, and the results were compared with experimental test data for numerical validations.

• Journal of the wind engineering institute of Korea
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.163-169
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• 2018

In this study, wind loads exerted on the offshore wind turbine rotor in parked condition were predicted with variations of wind speeds, yaw angles, azimuth angle, pitch angles, and power of the atmospheric boundary layer profile. The calculated wind loads using blade element theorem were compared with those of estimated aerodynamic loads for the simplified blade shape. Wind loads for an NREL's 5 MW scaled offshore wind turbine rotor were also compared with those of NREL's FAST results for more verification. All of the 6-component wind loads including forces and moments along the three axis were represented on a non-rotating coordinate system fixed at the apex of rotor hub. The calculated wind loads are applicable for the dynamic analysis of the wind turbine system, or obtaining the over-turning moment at the foundation of support structure for wind turbine system.

• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.79-87
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• 2022

A stabbing system is an underwater jointing structure for positioning the jacket substructure for offshore wind power on top of a pile foundation that is already installed in the seabed. In this paper, the structural safety of the stabbing system currently being developed in South Korea was evaluated through finite element analysis. For this study, conformity of the finite element modeling technique for a gripper (hydraulic cylinder) was reviewed, and the structural safety of the stabbing system was evaluated based on the stress safety factor under three design load combinations (combinations of vertical, shear, and moment loads). From the analysis, it was verified that the pile foundation and the stabbing system mounted on top of it are structurally safe according to the stress safety factor, and there will be no interference between major structural components (i.e., guide cone and pile foundation) due to rotation of the guide cone at the end of the jacket leg.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2024

The natural frequency shift under cyclic environmental loads is a key issue in the design of monopile-based offshore wind power turbines because of their dynamic sensitivity. Existing evidence reveals that the natural frequency shift of the turbine system in sand is related to the varying foundation stiffness, which is caused by soil deformation around the monopile under cyclic loads. Therefore, it is an urgent need to investigate the effect of soil deformation on the system frequency. In the present paper, three generalized geometric models that can describe soil deformation under two-way cyclic loads are proposed. On this basis, the cycling-induced changes in soil parameters around the monopile are quantified. A theoretical approach considering three-spring foundation stiffness is employed to calculate the natural frequency during cycling. Further, a parametric study is conducted to describe and evaluate the frequency shift characteristics of the system under different conditions of sand relative density, pile slenderness ratio and pile-soil relative stiffness. The results indicate that the frequency shift trends are mainly affected by the pile-soil relative stiffness. Following the relevant conclusions, a design optimization is proposed to avoid resonance of the monopile-based wind turbines during their service life.